Anyone have the stats on A Level grades?

I know that you can find stats on the % who get a certain grade for each individual subject, but are there any statistics on the total grades students get?

I.e. what % get at least AAA or A*A*A* etc.

Just curious.

Reply 1

Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post by 9dobbo1

As far as I know this isn't available - but it's something I've been looking for for years so if anyone knows of anything I'll be delighted.

Reply 2

9dobbo1

Original post by PQ

As far as I know this isn't available - but it's something I've been looking for for years so if anyone knows of anything I'll be delighted.

I guess it makes sense - the DoE have easy access to the individual grades per subject as they can just ask the exam boards, however, to find the grades per student you'd probably have to ask for schools which is probably quite a slow and arduous task.

Reply 3

Carnationlilyrose

Original post by PQ

As far as I know this isn't available - but it's something I've been looking for for years so if anyone knows of anything I'll be delighted.

I know I've seen it mentioned in various newspaper articles over the years, especially around results day, but I have no idea where they got the stats from, and if you don't know where to look, then no one does. On a side issue, I have wondered from time to time how much notice is taken of the fact that A* grades haven't always been around. Sprog 2 got two A grades which would have been A* if he had taken them the year later, but he was in the cohort which was the last year before the A* came in. Do admissions tutors keep the date in mind when admitting what will now be mature students?

Reply 4

Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post by 9dobbo1

It's more that you'd have to summarise data by candidate number - and given that students take A levels across a number of years then it's a much more complex extract than simply # of each grade awarded in a specific year.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/502158/SFR03_2016__A_level_and_other_level_3_results_in_England_SFR_revised.pdf does have a section on "Students achieving 3 A*-A grades at A level" and "Students achieving grades AAB at A level" but it's very high level (and will include points equivalents over 3 A levels - so AAB/A*AC/A*A*D/A*BB are all counted as AAB)

Reply 5

Carnationlilyrose

Original post by PQ

Schools will have this data - it's the kind of thing which is pored over by Ofsted for starters, and the subject of interminable exam post mortems on start-of-the-year INSET days. Whether it's collated by anyone else, I don't know.

Reply 6

Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post by Carnationlilyrose

I know both the DofE and BIS look at this stuff (HEFCE too) but they don't make it available to the public. UCAS have just released some analysis of A level grades achieved v predictions but it's not that helpful.

It's all on the national pupil database - it's just difficult to get hold of in any meaningful format.